COVID-19 Deaths Highest Among South Asians in The U.K

COVID-19 deaths are higher among South Asians, primarily among Indians, in the U.K. Ethnicity and other co-morbid factors must be taken into account before deciding on the line of treatment for such patients.

An increase in the risk of death from COVID-19 among South Asian heritage has been observed in the U.K. One reason behind this high mortality rate is the higher than average incidence of diabetes among South Asians.

The study titled ‘Ethnicity and Outcomes from Covid-19’ has been published in the Journal Lancet. It highlights that there is a 20 percent increased death rate among South Asians. Among them at least 18 percent were found to be diabetic.

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‘COVID-19 related mortality was 20 percent higher among South Asians as compared to their white counterparts in the U.K. The increased risk of death in South Asians can be attributed primarily to diabetes.’
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Researchers studied 34,986 patients who were hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from February up to May 2020, from around 260 hospitals in the U.K. Professor Ewen Harrison, who led the study said, “We found that there is a 20 per cent increase in risk of death in those who have South Asian heritage.”

The findings from the study suggest that South Asians, despite their age, suffered from co-morbid factors like obesity, lung disorders and diabetes. Diabetes was seen in four out of ten South Asian people, who were admitted in hospitals.

Men of Indian origin were 1.8 times more likely to die than white males and Indian women were 1.5 times likely to die compared to white females. Indians make up for the highest number of South Asians in Britain, thus their deaths becomes inevitable.

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A dramatic difference in the age of death was also seen among Indians and South Asians compared to their while counterparts.Professor Harrison stated, “There is a difference of 12 years on average between South Asians and the white population, which is quite a large difference. The average age of death was 60 among South Asians compared to 72 in the white group.”

Professor Harrison cited, “Communities are varied in terms of socio-economic deprivation, and occupations, and there may be differences between those of Indian heritage and those of other heritage, but we did not have information in the current study to be able to look at that in detail.”

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Not only are Indians at a high risk of contacting coronavirus, but they also face a high risk of severe complications from the disease or dying due to co-morbid factors. Prolonged diabetes affects normal functioning of kidney, liver and heart. This increases risk of complication and death from the condition.

The rate of death was also seen to be higher among certain religious groups including the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh compared to those who identified themselves as Christians. The highest death rate was among Muslim men and women, followed by Jews and Hindus.

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Thus, along with other risk factors, both ethnicity and diabetes must be taken into account when prioritizing the line of treatment for such patients. “There is certainly no binary conclusion that should be drawn from our study on diabetes or ethnicity,” Professor Harrison added.

Source-Medindia